App.net is Not the Answer, and Why I Gave Them Money

I do believe Dalton’s views on the detrimental nature of ad-supported services is spot-on. There are, however, fatal flaws with customer supported services, too.

People do not want to pay for digital services or goods. It’s been like this since the invent of the Internet. Thanks to Apple, some people are willing to pay a small one-time fee which include a lifetime of unlimited updates, which is about as close to free as a paid-model can get.

While pay-for-a-service is sustainable, it doesn’t support the viral and sustainable growth and adoption. Case study: Hipstamatic vs Instagram.

Somewhere in the middle, between ad-supported and paid, is the answer. It’s a goldmine, and it’s still waiting to be discovered.

We’re getting closer. The funding of App.net shows that we’re1 willing to depart from the current unsustainable ad-supported startup trend.

That is what I want to support.

Well, at least some of us. Others are just gamblers, hoping for the coveted “early adopter” badge of pride. ↩